Letter to the Editor: Focus should be on education

Ignoring the appeals of many taxpayers Thursday night, the Pohatcong Township Board of Education approved a $1.05 million solar panel project after spending an additional $150,000 for a feasibility study.

At the meeting, almost every member of the public in attendance stood up and voiced opposition to the project, while not one member of the public voiced support.
Where did the school board get the $1.2 million war chest to invest in solar? You guessed it — Pohatcong property taxpayers.

A citizen can argue whether the Chinese solar panels are a good thing or a boondoggle, but why should the school board decide on its own to collect and spend that much taxpayer money?

The board repeatedly dismissed requests by taxpayers to put the project up for a referendum vote this November.

As school property taxes increase, resident property values decrease.
Ask a property owner whose home has been foreclosed if the solar panels are a good investment.

The Pohatcong Elementary School performed poorly on standardized academic tests. According to the New Jersey School Performance Report issued this year by the Department of Education, 57 percent of all schools in the state and 84 percent of Pohatcong’s demographic peer schools performed better.

Rather than burning taxpayers, the Pohatcong school board should focus on education.